Stiffening attachment for appliance cords



I Aug. 26, 1941. w. A. WEDDL'E 2,253,668

STIFFENING ATTACHMENT FOR APPLIANCE CORDS Filed Oct. 30, 1959 Make/v6?l/edd/e INVENTOR ATTO RN EYS WI'I'NISS Patented Aug. 26, 1941 STIFFENINGATT'ACHDIENT FOR APPLIANCE CORDS Walter A. Waddle, Roanoke, Va.

Application October 30, 1939, Serial No. 302,060

7 Claims.

My invention relates broadly to electric appliances, and moreparticularly to a stiffening attachment for appliance cords.

An important object of my invention is to provide a stiffeningattachment that may be removably associated with an appliance cord tofacilitate the insertion of the male plug carried thereby into a femalereceptacle.

Another object of my invention is to provide a stiffening attachment ofthe above-mentioned character that has particular utility where thereceptacle is in a substantially inaccessible place.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a stiffeningattachment for an appliance cord that is simple and efiicient inoperation, inexpensive to manufacture and efiicacious in the performanceof its duties.

Other objects and advantages of my invention, will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which likenumerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention, showingparts broken away and illustrating the same in the extended position,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of my device, showing parts in section andparts in elevation and illustrating the same in the retracted position,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention, and

Figure 4 is a side elevation of still another modification of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration, isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals I and I Idesignate telescoping tubular members wherein the end I2 of the memberI0 is sli-dably disposed within the end I3 of the member II. The memberII preferably comprises abutting sections I4 and I5 to facilitate theinsertion and removal of the appliance cord I6 which extends throughboth of the members I0 and II. The section I5 is formed with projectingpins IT at diametrically opposed sides thereof adapted to be received bythe offset slot II! in the ferrule III which is fixedly carried by theend of the section I4.

The free ends 2| and 22 of the members I0 and I I are angularly ofisetin opposite directions and the end 22 of the member II is formed with anenlarged cupular socket portion 23 adapted to snugly but detachablyreceive the conventional I male plug 24 carried by the free end of thecord I6. A coil spring 25 is seated within the cupular portion 23 andengages the neck 26 of the male plug to normally hold the same spacedaway from the socket.

A stop element 21 is adapted to be removably applied to the cord I6adjacent the free end 2| of the member I 0 and comprises companion shellsections 28 and 29 formed with registering bores to receive the bolt 30and nut 3|. The bolt and nut 30 and 3| hold the sections of the stopelement in tight pressed engagement with the cord and in abuttingrelation with the free end 2| of the member I0.

The resilient action of the coil spring 25 will normally position themale plug 24 spaced away from the socket 23 and the stop element 21 inabutting engagement with member I0 so that when the said plug isreceived by a female receptacle there will normally be a short length ofthe flexible appliance cord between the socket and the cupular portion23, thereby permitting the attachment to assume an unobstructivehorizontal position. When it is desired to insert or remove the plug 24from the receptacle the sections I0 and II are extended, as illustratedin Figure 1, to pull the socket 25 into a snugly seated engagement withthe cupular portion 23. It is obvious that the stop element 21 willprevent sliding of the cord within the member I0 and that a substantialrigidity will be effected through the lower length of the appliance cordthus greatly facilitating the insertion or removal of the plug from alow or substantially inaccessible receptacle.

As illustrated in Figure 3, it may be desirable to substitute a femalereceptacle 32 for the stop element 21 and, in that event, the neck 33 ofthe receptacle is positioned in abutting relation with the free end 2|of the member I9. It will be readily seen that the operation of thisform of the invention is precisely the same as that described for thefirst form, but that it will be unnecessary for the appliance cord I6 toextend through the attachment. In this form a separate length of cordmay be disposed within the telescoping members I0 and II, said cordbeing connected at one end to the receptacle I3 and at the other end toa plug 34. The plug 24 of the appliance cord may then be inserted in thereceptacle 32. When the device is constructed in this manner, it may beeasily and expeditiously used in association with a number ofappliances, and may be easily carried from place to place.

In Figure 4, I have illustrated a form of the in vention wherein boththe female receptacle 32 and stop element 21 have been omitted. Theseelements result in the increased efficiency of the device as a whole andgreatly facilitate the mode of operation of the same; however, they arenot indispensable and a satisfactory operation may be obtained byomitting the same. To operate the device when constructed in thismanner, the user must manually hold the cord 15 at or adjacent to thepoint at which it enters the member ID to prevent the same from slidingrelative thereto upon extension of the members l and I l to draw theplug 24 into the socket 23. If desired the member ll may be made in onepiece and the form of the invention as illustrated in Figure 4 has beenso constructed.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown anddescribed, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts, may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or scopeof the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An attachment comprising relativelyslidable telescoping tubularsections, an appliance cord extending through said sections, one of saidsections terminating at its free end in an enlarged cupular socketportion, a male plug carried by the appliance cord, spring means seatedwithin the socket portion and engaging the male plug to normally holdthe same spaced from the said socket, and a stop element applied to thecord adjacent the free end of the other of the said sections whereby toabuttingly engage therewith when the sections are extended to snuglyseat the male plug in the said socket portion.

2. An attachment comprising an extensible tubular body having a socketat one end thereof, an electrical conductor extending through the body,a stop member carried by the cord to abuttingly engage the end of thebody remote from the socket to limit the movement of the cord within thebody, a male plug connected to the end of the conductor extendingthrough the socket adapted to snugly seat within the socket uponextension of the body, and spring means disposed within the socket andin engagement with the male plug to urge the same in a direction awayfrom the socket whereby the resilient action of the spring means willnormally hold the body in a contracted position and will normallyposition the male plug spaced from the socket to permit the body to beindependently movable when the male plug is connected to an electricaloutlet.

3. An attachment comprising relatively slidable telescoping tubularsections, one of which sections terminates at its free end in anenlarged cupular socket portion, an appliance cord extending throughsaid sections, a male plug carried by the appliance cord adapted to seatwithin the socket portion upon extension of the tubular sections, thesaid plug being normally dissociated from the socket portion but beingsecurely held against independent movement when seated therein.

4. An attachment comprising relatively slidable telescoping tubularsections, one of which sections terminates at its free end in anenlarged cupular socket portion, an appliance cord extending through thesaid sections, a male plug carried by the appliance cord adapted tosnugly seat in the socket portion upon extension of the sections, and astop element applied to the cord adjacent the free end of the other ofthe said sections whereby to abuttingly engage therewith when thesections are extended to move the male plug into the said socketportion.

5. An attachment comprising relatively slidvable telescoping tubularsections, one of which sections terminates at its free end in anenlarged cupular socket portion, an appliance cord extending throughsaid sections, a male plug carried by the appliance cord, and springmeans seated within the socket portion and engaging the male plug tonormally hold the same dissociated from the said socket portion, wherebyextension of the tubular sections will seat the plug within the socketportion against the resilient action of the spring means to securelyhold the same against independent movement.

6. An attachment comprising relatively slidable telescoping tubularsections, one of which sections terminates at its free end in an enlarged cupular socket portion, a flexible electrical conductor extendingthrough said sections, a male plug carried by the end of the conductorextending through the socket portion, and a female receptacleelectrically connected to the other end of the said conductor adapted toabuttingly engage one of the sections to seat the male plug within thesocket portion upon extension of the said tubular sections.

7. An attachment comprising relatively slidable telescoping tubularsections, one of which sections terminates at its free end in anenlarged cupular socket portion, an electrical conductor extendingthrough said sections, a male plug carried by the end of the conductorextending into the socket portion, a female receptacle at tached to theconductor adjacent the free end of the other of the said sectionsadapted to abuttingly engage therewith when the sections are extended tomove the male plug into the said socket portion, and spring means seatedwithin the socket portion and engaging the male plug to normally holdthe same spaced from the said socket portion.

WALTER A. WEDDLE.

